A few of my favorite things

That Pesky Rat by Lauren Child


One of my favorite children's books. The pictures are so much fun in the random textures piled on each other and fanciful doodlings. But if you know me, you know I love a book, at any age level, for a good story, strong characters, and beautiful use of the English Language. This does all three perfectly (and it's fun to read aloud with a dozen unique character voices).

The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales by Jon Scieszka


I discovered this one in junior high, and it has been one of my favorites ever since. Got a copy through scholastic for my daughters, and they love it, too. Such unique illustrations. Such out-of-the-box story lines. Such powerful use of characters. My girls love the red hen best, perhaps because I have a very shrilly squawky voice for her...that and how I read Jack's story to put the giant to sleep faster and faster until you can't understand a word I'm saying because I'm talking so fast and it all runs together...it puts everybody in giggles on the floor time after time.

It is also a gem of a book for story tellers who take advantage of different voices and techniques. I feel like a one-woman production reading this one aloud, and I LOVE it.

I Am a Bunny by Ole Risom


I found this at a library used book sale. Our copy is a hardback with thin cardboard pages.

I particularly like this book for the illustrations. I have always loved Richard Scarry. This is a much earlier work of his, and the illustrations are more detailed and natural in my opinion.


Ole Risom compliments Scarry's illustrations with simple and poetic text...

I am a bunny. My name is Nicholas. I live in a hollow tree.
In the spring, I like to pick flowers....
In the summer, I like to lie in the sun and watch the birds....
In the fall, I like to watch the leaves falling from the trees....
And, when winter comes, I watch the snow falling from the sky....
Then I curl up in my hollow tree and dream about spring.

It's like experiencing the full beauty of all four seasons in about three minutes.


Duck On A Bike by David Shannon


I love David Shannon. His illustrations are my favorite style, and his story lines have a great but simple structure to them. His characters are great for creating voices when reading aloud. The perfect balance between variety and consistency. And his ideas are quirky, fun, and unique. This is my favorite of his books. I don't much care for the David books, but I do love his Alice the Fairy book.

Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak


I grew up with this book, and my mom made sure my kids had it, too. I forgot how beautiful the writing is, how it flows like a poem off the tongue, and that there is actually subtle and layered meanings of real literature buried in this fun fantasy. The illustrations are, well, actual art. Beautiful, mythic, mesmerizing art. My two favorite parts are: 1. The three pages where there are no words at all, during the wild rumpus. I make up a 'wild rumpus' song and sing it while we soak in the splendor of Max and his friends during their wild rumpusing...and 2. The last page. 'and it was still hot' all by itself in the far left corner. A huge blank canvas of paper circling it, heavy with meaning and promise.

Amazing.

Chicka Chicka Boom Boom by Bill Martin Jr.


I'm not really one for graphic simplicity in illustration, but it is so functional for an alphabet book that I can't bring myself to complain too much.

The writing, on the other hand, is absolutely, poetically, rhythmically brilliant. My toddler goes around the house reciting, not the words, but rather the beat of this book. The rhythm of chicka chicka boom boom is like a really good song you get stuck in your head and don't mind that you go around singing for weeks on end. It's always a first choice when picking something to read out loud.

My Many Colored Days by Dr. Seuss


One of my big priorities in parenting is nurturing my children's emotional intelligence, and this book explains the variety of moods in a simple and nonjudgmental way, even so far as to say sometimes it is a combination of all sorts of emotions and that can leave you feeling turned around. The best part is that it ends with equanimity, and reassures children that no matter what emotion you have at the moment, it eventually goes away and you'll feel like yourself again. That's the kind of hope I want to give my kids, and that's why I love this book.

Oh, and the paintings are fascinating and parallel the emotion they describe rather perfectly.

Belly Button Book by Sandra Boynton


Sandra Boynton has a gift for rhythm, and this particular book shows off her talent for outrageous humor as well. You get inside her head and her world, where the hippopotamus culture is fascinated with their own belly buttons. You spend time on Belly Button Beach, where "tons of hippos stand around in bathing suits too little because they hope you will admire the button on their middle." Really, doesn't the poetry and humor of that line make you want to read the rest? It's good. Very good.